Mainland: Drill will get Taiwan nowhere

A spokesman for the Chinese mainland warned on Thursday that the Taiwan administration's attempt to resist reunification by force will "get the island nowhere".

The administration－led by the Democratic Progressive Party－should abandon its "Taiwan independence" stance and antagonistic mentality, said An Fengshan, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, during a news conference.

The comment was an answer to a question about an ongoing military drill in Taiwan simulating an attack from the mainland.

"Only by recognizing the common political foundation of the 1992 Consensus can the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations be maintained," he said.

The 1992 Consensus embodies the one-China policy.

When asked to comment on Taiwan's attempt to attend the World Health Assembly, An said: "The authority of the principle of one-China policy is beyond question."

He said the policy has been widely recognized by the international community and is also reflected in United Nations Resolution 2758 and World Health Assembly Resolution 25.1.

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the WHO. It is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland. This year's assembly opened on Tuesday and will run to May 31.

"As a matter of course, the WHO, the health agency of the UN, has handled Taiwan-related issues according to the principle, and we hope the assembly will not be disturbed," An said.

Newly elected WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom reiterated the organization's adherence to the one-China policy on Wednesday.

Tedros, 52, a former health minister and foreign minister of Ethiopia, will succeed Margaret Chan, whose tenure ends in June.

In a meeting with Li Bin, head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Tedros said the UN agency will properly handle Taiwan-related issues based on the resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the World Health Assembly, the WHO's decision-making body.

Tedros noted that it was his first bilateral meeting after being elected and told Li that he will continue to lead the WHO to closer cooperation with China.

Li congratulated Tedros on his election and said China is willing to continue its in-depth cooperation with the organization.

Xinhua contributed to this story.